Liriano was briefly booted from Minnesota’s rotation in May after posting a 9.45 ERA through six starts and then put together a fantastic two-month stretch upon rejoining the rotation, throwing 66 innings with a 3.68 ERA and 79/29 K/BB ratio before the Twins traded him to the White Sox for a pair of non-prospects in late July.

Liriano was mostly sub par in Chicago, posting a 5.40 ERA in 57 innings, and finished the year with a 5.34 ERA in 157 total frames. However, he racked up 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings and, as always, if someone can get Liriano to throw strikes consistently and trust his raw stuff the 29-year-old left-hander still has plenty of upside.

Glad it isn’t the Twins throwing that money away any more. I wish Liriano the best of luck, and maybe the NL will help him turn his game around. But, that is a lot of money for a guy who is a bit of a headcase and hasn’t had consistent results the last few years.

as a Bucco Fan, at least the Pirates are trying and at least hes not a washed up 40 yr old. If they can get him to be consistent it could be a great signing. I know thats a big IF but there is a lot of potential here.